Chapter 48

Xue Bing came to find me on behalf of the school, inviting me to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completion of the basketball court.

The basketball court was built very beautifully; the cement floor was as flat as a plain, and the pristine white court boundary lines were made of white ceramic tiles instead of paint. This innovation was Xue Bing's idea, and her idea directly cost me over four thousand yuan more.

The township middle school was built in the 1950s, and the main building still had wooden floors that creaked and groaned when walked upon. If there was any greater movement, dust would leak down between the floorboards. Therefore, the higher-grade students studied upstairs, and the lower-grade students were all downstairs.

To the left of the main teaching building was a simple latrine, where sewage flowed year-round. Because it was a dry latrine, when the weather got hot, maggots from the latrine would march in groups to the playground for a stroll. By the side of the playground was a water well, with a few weeping willows planted nearby; the willow branches swayed gracefully, full of vitality. Past the well was a stretch of paddy fields, and a small path leading to the outside world wound through them.

To the right was the canteen, where three cooks steamed over a thousand bowls of rice every day. In rural middle schools, students didn't eat fresh, stir-fried dishes at school; they all brought salted vegetables from home. Those from better-off families brought a jar of dried fish, while those from poorer families had radish strips stir-fried with radish strips, without even a drop of oil. Every student had an aluminum bowl engraved with their own code. When school started, students handed over the grain brought from home to the school, and the school was responsible for steaming the grain into rice. Students ate it with salted vegetables for all three meals. After eating, they would wash it clean and send it back to the steamer. If they didn't send it back, they wouldn't be able to find their own bowl in the steamer for the next meal, and they would have to go hungry.

Above the canteen kitchen was a small floor where teachers like Xue Bing, who were not class teachers, lived. The class teachers all lived in small rooms behind their own classrooms—a small room that carried the weight of the world.

The canteen and the latrine were separated by the wide playground, so one couldn't smell the odor from the latrine. If a southwest wind blew, the entire school would be shrouded in a fermented smell, making people feel dizzy and nauseated, their hearts fluttering in distress.

The playground was originally a "three-in-one" mud ground, made of sand, mud, and lime. When the school was first built, the ground was rammed and packed day and night, and to this day, not a blade of grass grew on it.

Now the playground was completely covered in cement, flat as a mirror, and completely out of place with the dilapidated teaching building. At both ends of the playground stood fiberglass basketball hoops; everything was brand new.

Liu Quan and all the members of his township Party committee were present, sitting on the red-cloth-covered rostrum. When they saw Xue Bing and me arrive, they took the lead in applauding. The sea of students sitting below all clapped their hands in unison.

The principal whispered to Secretary Liu Quan, then stood up and shouted with a cracked voice, "Quiet, quiet, the meeting is starting now."

A chair was left next to Liu Quan for me to sit on. Zhu Shizhen sat in the seat closest to the edge. As I passed by him, I saw a smile on his face that seemed unfathomable.

First, Secretary Liu Quan gave a speech. The middle school was currently one of the township's proudest achievements. Since the school was founded, it had produced some people, such as Xue Bing, Liu Xiao Mei, and Hao Qiang. Most notably, it had produced a student who was doing research at the National Academy of Sciences. Even Sun Demao had spent a year at the middle school.

Except for a few nearby, all the middle school students lived on campus. Living on campus meant having evening self-study, and because there was no electricity, two students had to share one oil lamp for evening study. Therefore, whenever night fell, the middle school area would become dotted with lights, just like fireflies on a summer night, or like the stars in the sky, carrying the hopes of the rural people.

Liu Quan was painting a picture for the students, saying that this place would soon be brightly lit, and students wouldn't have to study under kerosene lamps anymore, blackening their noses and scorching their eyebrows, making others think that we people of Suxi Township were all crooked and deformed. Liu Quan's words drew a burst of laughter, and the crowd below became restless; the class teachers hurriedly stopped them.

Liu Quan waved his hand magnanimously and said, "Once there is electricity, this court will become a lighted basketball court. In the future, when everyone is tired from studying, playing a few games will be a good way to relax."

His hand suddenly pointed at me and said, "This is Secretary Chen from the township, who comes from the big city of Hengyue. This court of yours was all built with money donated by Secretary Chen. So, don't forget the digger when you drink from the well; everyone, applaud and thank Secretary Chen."

Thunderous applause suddenly erupted from below; this was a treatment that even Liu Quan probably hadn't enjoyed.

I stole a glance at Xue Bing and found that she was also looking at me. Seeing me look at her, her neck turned red, and she turned away from my sight, leaving me with a sense of longing.

The ribbon-cutting process was very grand. Several female middle school students whose chests had already begun to develop lined up, holding scissors and red cloth in their hands. Each member of the township Party committee held a pair of scissors. I stood side by side with Liu Quan, and amidst the enthusiastic applause, I cut away my one hundred thousand yuan with one snip.

After the ribbon-cutting, the school held a performance. A group of female students lined up and walked onto the basketball court. Xue Bing appeared; she was wearing a pale green dress, revealing her fair and full calves, and the mountains on her chest were layered and lush.

Her ponytail bounced lively, like a lotus, or like a happy little pony. Her bare arms were exposed in the sunlight, and a blush appeared on her porcelain-like face.

The female students lined up in a neat row. Their maturing bodies revealed the breath of youth, and their rising and falling chests bloomed like fresh flowers before my eyes. In an instant, I felt a surge of blood rush up from the soles of my feet, pooling beneath my lower abdomen.

Damn it! I was secretly startled. I had never experienced such a reaction before. I secretly reached into my pants pocket, trying hard to suppress my restless brother, warning him that in this public place, any stray thought was an impure one.

They performed a female chorus, with Xue Bing conducting. It was clear they had rehearsed meticulously; even without accompaniment, they sang and harmonized with precision.

I stared unblinkingly at Xue Bing's back. Her dancing arms transformed into a thousand-year-old butterfly before my eyes, and I became dazed.

After seven or eight performances, Xue Bing stood by the side of the court conducting the whole time. It seemed she was the director of this performance. The principal kept looking for Liu Quan to talk and didn't pay much attention to the performance.

I was watching with rapt attention. I wasn't looking at anyone else; I was only looking at Xue Bing. She seemed to sense it, and a few times she smiled at me. My heart was bursting with joy, and I kept thinking about how I should go find her after the performance.

Liu Quan firmly refused to eat and was about to leave with a group of Party committee members. The principal begged him to eat before leaving, but Liu Quan couldn't refuse, so he left me behind, along with Zhu Shizhen.

Zhu Shizhen greeted the teachers in high spirits and pulled me over to introduce me one by one. He whispered to me, "Brother, do you like Teacher Xue?"

I flatly denied it, but Zhu Shizhen said with a face full of worldly wisdom, "Brother, you still want to hide it from me? Your older brother here can tell. All afternoon, your eyes never left Teacher Xue."

I blushed at my own recklessness. You old fox, why are you paying attention to me?

Zhu Shizhen patted me on the shoulder and said, "Brother, Teacher Xue is quite good—young, beautiful, and knowledgeable. She's a perfect match for you, brother."

I didn't respond to his words. Seeing Xue Bing coming from afar, I left him and said, "Chairman Zhu, shall we go to the restroom together?"

Zhu Shizhen smiled awkwardly and waved his hand. Seeing that I didn't like this topic, he had to go find the principal to chat.

"How was the program today?" Xue Bing tilted her head and smiled at me.

I gave a thumbs up and said, "Very good, it has professional standards."

She giggled and said, "It didn't disgrace your one hundred thousand yuan, did it?"

I was very embarrassed and blurted out, "You were the most beautiful one today."

"Really?" Xue Bing asked, chasing after me. A shy blush appeared on her face, and she twisted her hands and said, "My sister wants me to tell you that she had someone catch a wild rabbit, and she wants us to go taste it together."

Jin Ling, I understand your good intentions!

I said to Xue Bing, "Let's go for a walk together tonight."

Xue Bing nodded shyly and ran away like a rabbit.